Teasing out the differences between the writers as individuals and the works that publish.

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Are We What We Write?
Carol Roach

Are we what we write? This is a question I often ask myself as I write my stories. Of course to a certain extent we are what we write. For example, I write when I am happy and I write when I am sad. I write to motivate people and to teach. The former statement reflects my emotions while the latter reflects my counseling and teaching ability. I write about topics of interest to me, and I refuse to write about topics which do not appeal to me. There is a lot to be said about getting to know a writer through the topics and or genre they chose. But is it the whole picture?
There are some writers who will write about anything; for money, fame, or simple attention. I am not saying there is anything theoretically wrong with that. Writing is a business, a profession like any other. For people who make a living out of writing, they will write whatever will pay the bills. They may be a sports writer, a travel writer, a freelance writer and so on. They see an opportunity to write on a subject sometimes knowing very little about it, but do their homework. They do the research and produce a quality article which in turn keeps them gainfully employed.